O52 FOREST CULTURE AND 
bourne into the tropical parts of Australia. The pith- 
hats are made from the young stems of this plant. 
The Solah is of less importance for cultivation than 
for naturalization. 
Agave Americana, L.—The gigantic Aloe of Cen- 
tral America. It comes here into flower in about ten 
years. The pithy stem can be utilized for some of 
the purposes for which cork is usually employed, for 
instance, to form the bottom of insect-cases. The 
honey-sucking birds and the bees are very fond of the 
flowers of this prodigious plant. The leaves of this 
and some other agaves, such as A. Mexicana, fur- 
nish the strong Pita-fibre, which is adapted for ropes, 
and even for beautiful “textile fabrics. The sap can _ 
be converted into alcohol. Where space and circum- 
stances admit of it, impenetrable hedges may be rais- 
ed, in the course of some years, from agaves. 
Agrostis alba, L.—The Fiorin or White Bent-grass. 
Europe, North and Middle Asia, North Africa, North 
America. Perennial, showing a predilection for 
moisture. It is valuable as an admixture to many 
other grasses, as it becomes available at the season 
when some of them fail. Sinclair regards it as a pas- 
ture grass, inferior to Festuca pratensis, and Dactylis 
glomerata, but superior to Alopecurus pratensis. The 
variety with long suckers is best adapted for sandy 
pastures, and helps to bind shifting sand on the sea- 
coast, or broken soil on river-banks. 
Aletris farinosa, L.—The Colic root of the woodlands 
of North America. This pretty herb is of extreme 
bitterness, and .can be medicinally administered as a 
tonic. 
Alkanna tinctoria, Tausch.—On sandy places around 
